Weather forecast for Thursday: It could get very messy this week with thunderstorms predicted for the final three rounds. But, at the time of writing (Wednesday morning), the opening day should avoid all the bad stuff. In fact, it looks very pleasant indeed with temperatures rising throughout the day to the mid-70s and very little wind. There seems no tee-time bias.
Pick Paratore
Renato Paratore has been one of the DP World Tour's standout players in the month of August.
After a shocking run of 10 missed cuts in 11 starts he turned his form around with a top three finish in the Cazoo Open and followed that with fourth at the ISPS Handa World Invitational and 13th at the Czech Masters.
He's set the tone with strong starts, opening with 67s in his last two events, the most recent putting him seventh on the Thursday leaderboard in Prague.
In this nick he's worth following anywhere but Crans looks as good a place as any and that applies to the FRL leader market too.
The back-to-form Italian was sixth after 18 holes last year and led after 54 before finishing seventh.
On his previous visit in 2019 he opened 67-66 to sit ninth at halfway.
A pre-weekend 63 helped him to seventh in 2016 so that mix of current form, course form and fast starts gives him plenty of appeal at 50/1.
Paratore tees off from the 10th at 09.30.
Green for go
Gavin Green, like Paratore, has suddendly found something again.
He's clicked back into gear in the last fortnight with back-to-back second places on the Asian Tour's International Series Singapore and the DP World Tour's Czech Masters.
An opening 65 put him second after the opening lap in Singapore while he was seventh after 18 holes of the Czech Masters.
A look back at his records shows he's been an habitual fast starter and has often strung them together from week to week.
The other big plus is that he has encouraging course form of 12-12-32 at Crans.
He was the halfway leader in 2019 after opening 65-64, shot a 63 on day three in 2018 and fired a 65 in round two last year.
His record of going low on this course allied to his return to form makes Green a play at 50/1. He heads off at 08.30 from the 10th.
Look to Lorenzo-Vera
Mike Lorenzo-Vera has been outspoken on Twitter about his dislike for LIV. He really doesn't hold back so perhaps outrage is a better word for him repeatedly laying into his fellow pros.
But, in terms of this preview, he gave us a little reminder about his love for this event on Wednesday morning.
"This week is a very special week for me. What a place , what a course , what an atmosphere !!!" he wrote.
In seven starts the Frenchman has a third, a sixth and three other top 20s.
As for fast starts at Crans, he's twice been the first-round leader! MLV opened with a 64 in 2016 and went one lower with a 63 in 2019.
We haven't seen him since he made the cut at the Barracuda Championship in America in mid-July, a tournament where he started with a 68 to end day one in tied 18th.
And on his penultimate start on European soil, he was fourth after round one at the BMW International Open in Germany.
He'll be chomping at the bit to get going again here and sometimes after a break a player throws in a low one on day one before the rustiness kicks in.
Lorenzo-Vera is an afternoon starter at 12.50, again from the 10th.